Jon Oleson - What Legacy Are We Giving Our Kids?

Jon Oleson

Minneapolis

Copyright 2016 by Jon Oleson

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author. For permission requests send an email to .

Edited by Jennifer J. Anderson and John R. Kober

Cover design by Robyn Lingen, designwritestudios.com

Interior design by Dorie McClelland, springbookdesign.com

Cover photo by Lara Leimbach, laraphotos.com

ISBN: 978-0-9981785-0-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9981785-1-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America

The author is donating $2.00 from the sale of each book to effective and efficient nonprofit programs that 1) help children who need support they are not adequately receiving, and 2) promote the recovery and sustainability of Earths physical environment.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my own kids and grandkidsplus those of everyone else. I also dedicate this book to the many of you who regularly do so much to work for a positive future for all of us, especially our children.

I am grateful to Jennifer J. Anderson who worked with me for over a year as I was plugging along with the writing. Her conversations about content and her editing help kept me going in the writing process.

Sincere thanks to my get-it-published teamDorie McClelland, designer, who two years ago gave me the sense that the book was going to be worth the effort; Robyn Lingen, whose creative work, in collaboration with Dorie, designed an engaging cover; Susan Niemi for helping me connect with the right people and helped me get my head around doing a book; and for John Kober who helped me rein in my too free flowing writing instincts so readers wouldnt be thinking huh? too often.

How I think and process information has been influenced by my four years at Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) where we were encouraged to be thoughtful and caring. My writing is influenced by English professors Dr. Prausnitz and Dr. Hoppe, and by speech teacher Dr. Dovre.

Thanks also to the many friends and colleagues who supported me in this writing endeavor. My writing and I have been enriched by their participation.

I am forever grateful to my parents and the many people who helped shape my attitudes and character as I grew. Also, I am thankful for the many young children, most of them total strangers, who daily remind me of the importance of writing this book.

LEGACY: anything handed down from, or as from, an ancestor or predecessor

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I am serious when I say Im not trying to tell anyone what to think. With this book, I am simply writing as an American who works to understand whats going on. I write from my experiencesas a former teacher and administrator, a former small business owner, as a city councilmember, as a member of a faith community, as a dedicated father and grandfather. I write as a fellow American interested in improving the quality and outcomes of dialogue about the state of the country. My goal, in essence, is to promote good conversation.

The idea for this book began several years ago. Like most Americans, I was tired of all the partisan bickering that had dominated Congress for years. Americans were polarizing. I decided to do something about it. I decided to seek a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

Although I didnt really expect to win the election, and I didnt, I did hope to encourage better dialogueconversation about America, about democracy, core values, leadership, and where we are going. Over the course of my campaign, I was encouraged by the conversation at the hundreds of doors where I was able to engage residents, expressing my concerns and listening to theirs. My belief in Americans was buoyedwere good people.

I felt better during and immediately after the election. I was less anxious, and the only explanation I came up with was that I was doing something, not just griping. But the ideas and conversations Id had along the way kept surfacing in my mind. I couldnt think about my grandchildren without wondering, worrying, what their future would be. I decided I needed to try another strategy to move the national dialog in a better direction. The result is the book you hold in your hands.

I write from what I have learned in my lifetime. The chapters that follow cover a sampling of the topics that describe America. They glimpse into the soul of who we are and what we stand for. Some are subtle looks; some are dynamics of America that are loud and in our faces. All require sorting through and taking apart, peeling back of the onion, so to speak, so we can see whats at the core.

Who do I want to read this book? Anyone who wants to

• step away from the hectic pace of life in America to reflect about life and whats most important,
• step away from the confusing, often disturbing way America does politics, and
• participate in shaping Americas future.

The stories that launch most chapters are in this book because they have helped me get my head and heart around issues and the people dynamics that affect Americas ability to understand how we best govern our nation, how we make interactions between us more effective, more productive.

My stories and my processing how they relate to America help me understand all this. Theyre my perceptions, my takeaways. I offer them fully expecting that readers will be in sync with some chapters, dismayed or repulsed by some, bored by others. My hope is that this book will provoke interesting and helpful thinking and dialog. It is my expectation that you will resolve to increase your engagement in Americas future, deciding that you can make a difference. It is my hope that you will do your part to stop the squabbling we hear every day, that you will actively support good problem solving and good future planning.

This book puts thoughts on the table for you to consider. To ponder. To stir up your creative thinking. To do some self-examination. It is my hope that you will do your own analysis of what America values and who we want to be as a nation, as a world leader. It is my firm belief that we share similar thoughts about what we want the American experience to be for our kids and grandkids.